(HARRISBURG, Pa. – July 16, 2019) Raymond Truex, MD, a retired physician from Berks County, was named the 2019 recipient of the Pennsylvania Medical Society’s (PAMED) Distinguished Service Award.

The Distinguished Service Award is considered the highest honor a member can receive from PAMED.

Its first recipient in 1956 was Jonas E. Salk, MD, who was recognized for his achievements in developing the anti-polio vaccine. Since it was first awarded, PAMED has honored 28 Pennsylvania physicians and two non-physicians.

Dr. Truex has served the physician community for more than 50 years. The son of a renowned neuroanatomist and medical educator, he continued the Truex family expertise in the neurosciences as a neurosurgeon. Just as notable, he stands out as a lion-hearted champion for physicians in recovery from mental health and addiction issues.

Early in his career, Dr. Truex fell victim to stress and burnout that could have ended his career, but he found help within the Foundation of the Pennsylvania Medical Society’s Physicians’ Health Program (PHP).

“I would not have been able to return to clinical practice without the PHP standing behind me,” Dr. Truex says.

In 1998, Dr. Truex began his service as a Foundation trustee.

He served as board chair of the Foundation of the Pennsylvania Medical Society for nine years. He has also served as treasurer, president, and board chair of the Berks County Medical Society, and he received the Berks County Medical Society’s Compass Award in 2017.

Dr. Truex is a past president of the Pennsylvania Neurosurgical Society, and, among many other awards, he is the recipient of the Caron Foundations Jasper Chen See Medical Professional Award and the Lindback Foundation Award for Distinguished Teaching from Temple University. After retiring as a neurosurgeon from Reading Hospital in 2017, he assumed a part-time medical director position with the PHP, providing outreach to physicians and health professionals who suffer from addiction, stress, burnout, and mental illness.

“Ray brings to PHP a great understanding of doctors in recovery,” says Jon Shapiro, MD, PHP medical director. “With compassion in his heart, he has been a strong addition to the Pennsylvania PHP.”

Dr. Truex has courageously shared his struggles, serving as an authentic representative that success following adversity is possible. His personal investment in his community equally matches his passion for healthy living within the community of medicine. His generosity ensures that the PHP is there to help others in their darkest hours.

“Dr. Truex embodies the ‘three Ts’ of selflessness — he shares his time, treasure, and talent to create and ensure a healthier physician community across our commonwealth and beyond,” says Heather Wilson, executive director of the Foundation of the Pennsylvania Medical Society and deputy executive vice president for PAMED.

The award will be formally presented to Dr. Truex on Oct. 26, 2019, during PAMED’s annual House of Delegates meeting in Hershey, Pa.

The Pennsylvania Medical Society helps its 21,000 physician and medical student members return to the art of medicine through advocacy and education. To learn more, visit www.pamedsoc.org or follow us on Twitter at @PAMEDSociety.